A moviegoer has told how he correctly diagnosed himself with motor neurone disease after watching the Oscar-winning Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything.
Paul Whyley, 62, a grandfather and former newspaper circulation rep from Hagley in the west midlands, is now being looked after full time by his wife Jayne after doctors agreed his symptoms were unmistakable.
“We went to see The Theory of Everything just two weeks before my diagnosis,” Whyley told the Stourbridge News. “They listed the symptoms and I thought ‘I’ve got all of them’ but I said nothing. It was a good film.”
The filmgoer went to visit his GP immediately after viewing the film at the UCI cinema at Merry Hill, near Dudley, in March. Two weeks later, the diagnosis was confirmed by neurologists at the Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham, and Whyley is now receiving medication to slow the progression of his illness. He requires the use of a ventilator and cannot walk without help.
“It’s a vile, evil disease,” said Jayne. “We’d got a normal life – everything was fine and we were both looking forward to retirement. But this has hit us so suddenly and now I am looking after Paul 24/7 and we don’t even have a downstairs bathroom.
“They normally say people die within two to five years, but the doctors think Paul has had it for some time. It’s frightening and has come as such a shock to us.”
Relatives have begun a fundraising effort through the Just Giving website in order to try and purchase a stair lift, hoist and motorised wheelchair for Paul. Donations can be made here.
Eddie Redmayne won the best actor Oscar in February for his turn as Hawking in The Theory of Everything, which shows the famed theoretical physicist’s battle to overcome the increasingly debilitating effects of motor neurone disease with the help of his wife Jane and others. James Marsh’s film was also nominated for best picture, best actress (Felicity Jones), best adapted screenplay and best original score.